The owner of the shuttered College Perk coffeehouse said he hopes to reopen in the building vacated earlier this year by the 94th Aero Squadron restaurant, promising to add “fine dining” to his establishment without compromising its quirky character.
Chris Gordon, who founded the Perk in 2003, is pushing a new business plan that stays true to the Perk’s coffeehouse roots but also includes upscale dining and a room for musical performances and dinner theatre.
“We’re talking about white tablecloth, candles on tables, really spectacular food,” Gordon said.
Gordon must convince the Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation, which owns the Aero Squadron site, that his proposed restaurant would be the best eating establishment to occupy the location next to the College Park Airport.
The original Perk, located off Route 1 just north of University Boulevard, gained popularity as an intellectual alternative to the downtown bar scene. The property fell into foreclosure last year — Gordon disputes the legitimacy of the foreclosure, which remains tied up in court — and then closed after suffering fire damage.
The Aero Squadron site attracted Gordon’s interest after that restaurant pulled out in February, said Paul Witter, a partner in the business.
“This site gives us the potential to expand our business instead of just reopen,” Witter said. “It’s kind of the direction we were already starting to take with the Perk; we were already planning to have a small fine-dining area and do some really cool stuff with the menu.”
A name for the proposed restaurant hasn’t been determined, Witter said, but “Perk 94” is a leading candidate.
The Aero Squadron building remains in poor shape after burst pipes and a malfunctioning sprinkler system flooded it twice in two weeks earlier this year. Chuck Montrie, who is supervising the county’s request for proposals for the location, said it would take months for the county to select a new tenant and work out a lease before repairs could commence.
Montrie said he will likely keep his criteria for the Aero Squadron’s replacement fairly open when he begins accepting applications from restaurateurs next month.
“The primary objective is to have a nice restaurant for the citizens of this area,” Montrie said. “I have no idea what we’re going to get.”
Gordon said his pitch to the county will highlight the existing customer base he developed during the six years he operated the Perk, which includes not only students but also people older than 30 who are drawn to “collegiate atmosphere.”
Senior music major Liz Ciavolino, who used to frequent the Perk for its open mic nights and once played in a show there, said she hopes to see it reopen.
“I think they were a good community for musicians. That’s what I really enjoyed about it,” Ciavolino said. “It was just a neat place to hang out before it closed.”
The Perk’s extended closure may have left it off the radar of many current students, however. Many of the students listed in its Facebook group have already graduated, and many more will likely graduate before the business can reopen.
Gordon said he would step up marketing of the reopened restaurant, not only to the College Park community but also to Washingtonians who would take the Metro to his planned entertainment options — including performances and a regular open mic night.
He notes, however, that he still has a “large and very loyal following.” Gordon said he has collected more than 800 signatures on a petition to open the Perk in the Aero Squadron site.
Many details of the plan remain undecided, Gordon and Witter said, including what they would charge for a meal. But Witter said an intimate coffeehouse will undoubtedly be a key component.
“What we really want to do is bring back the feel and the style of the old Perk almost as though nothing’s changed,” Witter said. “That was an important part of our business and an important part of College Park. And we want it back.”
bholt at umdbk dot com
